Improvement in reducing ores



Vdifferent parts, and then, While d pass into the retort.

cugilcns n, unitnuns?Asnfir L Letters Potent 96,

Little-n1.

darci#A'c'rcntbcrfil, 1869.1. l

MPRYBMHMN RDUCfINGbRES# `,The Schedule referred to these illictter To all whom it may concern: y l l Be it known that we, CHARLES D. VILLIAMS andy WILLIAM H. NoBLus, of Saint Paul, in the county of Ramsey, and in the State of Minnesota, have inventedcertain new `und useful-Improvements in Process for Reducing Orcs; and d o hereby declare that the following isa-full', cle-ur, :ind exact descriptionv thereof', referencevbeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, mak ing a. part of this specification.

The'nature of our invention consists in a. new process for reducing ores, and in the construction and :trrangement of the furnace und retort by which our, process is'carried out.4 f l In order to enable otheis skilled in the nrt to which our ini-entice apperteinsg te make and use the saule, we'ivill now proceed to describe the construction of the furnace and retort, und the process ny Awhich the ore is reduced, referring to the `unuexed drawings, in whicli- Figure l is a. longitu furnace;4

Figure 2 is e bottom view of the stirrer or gus-generator, used in the furnace; end Figure 3isa. side ric'w oi' theliund gas-g euzrctolz` s The furnace and retort being verysimpleiutheir construction, we will only, by letter, designate the escribng the process,

dinan vel-tieni section 'of the' somewhat enlzufge on the same.

Areprescnts the fnrnuce,i\rithiu which the yretort B is placed.

C C'nre'the lire-pinces for heating thek retort, which` irepluces'alre four in number.

D,I)'a're the entrances to theA rire-places C.

.F is 'the funnel und spout, through which the "oresf G is the pipe that conreys guses,`sn lphur, &c`., from the retort B toftliei'eccptucle E. y H is the pipe that conveys gases, sulphur, dsc., not deposited, und remaining in reservoir il), into thej chimney of the furnace, und thence 'iutothe open air.

a a nrc the nir-holes under the grutes, being four in number, the lsuine es the tire-places.

l) b nre supports for the retort l.

I is the st-irrer or gus-generator.

d is the pipe conveying stezuu the stirrcr or gasLgenerutor.

e is the wooden portion of the pipe (l.

f is the rubber the boiler.

iijoln the boiler to pipe that connects the 1p1 ped with v plate,

h is the bottom plate of the stirrer or hariu g notches lor perforatious, s0 Vth'atfwheu theiia- Y terials for makin g hydrogen, chlorine, Aaludfotl'uar gases,

are conveyed into thf'estirrery or generatontlirough the piped, end lthere decomposed, to form ges, their ksnidfgztse's, or accompanying steam, niny pass through these notches or perforations' at the'bottom retort, und ascend up through the ores. '1' 'i is the upper platte, or roof ofthe ges is formedfrom filling with pulverizedores:

J is" the reservoir for 'subst' rine and other grises.`

K is the reservoir L, L, a.nd L2 are used Vforce steam, chlorinesoluto'n, and mercury M M' aretwo openingsin the 'etort B, 'furthe (ns1 charge ofthe ores after they* hwebeen manipulated..`

One of the :nain eaturesinthe construction of our furnace is the stirrer or gus-generator I, for'rthepur# pose of using gas, for egituting and stirriugmetellicl ores while being roasted.

The stirrer or vgelsLgenemtorVconsists of alowei" plate, h, of a conceyoyconvex surface, or of'r 2t letsurfue@ either round, semicircular,.square, oblong, orI 'any other shape, haringen upper plate, fi, of they sanieshape, which may becoucevo-couvex or4 flat. The

lower plate h may be less concavo-convex orlzit, to-

ndmit the steauu'orinctei'ials for hydrogen, brother gases, between thel two. plates, in sniiicieut quaint-ities to sutnrateor permeate 'the ores, throughperforarr tions orholes iu the bott betr'vjeen the bottom 'of 'the retort', directly) underthe I ores, and is'so constructedtis to heV used'byhaud, and( moved from one partofthe retort to `anoth`er,` the steam entering'through the h uudle,^`wh iclr is hollow". Through this vholio'vv bundle d' the llydrog'emchlorine, or steam, or other i under the ores,"

Or the stiri'er and generatorlmzty be stationery, as represented in thedrruvingsend `the"pipe d com duct-s the Huid, coinposedoi; t-lie" ga,ses kj'toybe used, or` from generators7` the geil, us'fnibovestated.l The'stir.-

rer or generator 'muy tls'o beA used without ufbottoui utils, jor s AJNT rlich,

generntor- I,

Y @the if stirrer'or genere* `ntorfetnd isused'to protectfthe yspece-'in"v ifhichthe vneescontaining chlof oruiercnry to'beused in vapor# iziug-mercury, and distribution among the ores`. 'l fr l ntnollihg our plete, or fnotches'- in' the" coucuve,'the` coucare of the stirr'er 'hydrogen-gas and oxygen-gas, the oxygen being chlorideof soda in water, or other soluble substances containing chlornegas,'and thus chlorize the metals -contained in the ores, from the bottom upward, l through the mass ot' ores, insteadof from the top of the ores downward, as is usually .atternped to be done- -A peli'ects both the-complete desulphurization of -the taining' chlorine-gas, under the heated ores, by the fuse lof the stirrer or generator, in the manner heretol. rine-gases.

.maini'ng sulphur .in thev ores, anil, as above stated,

disposed of as above described.

lTherefore, when chlorine-gas is so applied'from4 the material that may be fused as a nou-conductor of heat, sov it may be conveniently handled.

The eie'ct of thus introducing the steamI and gases from the bottom instead of from the top of the ores downward, causes them to permeate the whole masses of the ores.

The stirrer or generator being first heated,- by being introduced under the ores, and by the steam admitted linto it,.and, secondly, bythe Ibottoni of the retort v f being intensely heated, in contact with the stirrer or generator, the heat decomposesfthe water of the steam at the bottom-0f the retort, thus setting free promptly burned up, while the vhydrogen 'unites with the sulphur inthe ores, and forms sulphuretted hydrogengas, which passes away through the pipe G, connected with -th'e retort, into a reservoir, E, containing ;mercury and' a precipitating-fluid, and from thence,'with any free sulphur that may escape in thev formof vapor,',through the pipe H,therewith connected, into the chimney and open air,l as may bede,-

Xand practised. y

Forming or setting free chlorine-gas at the bottom of the ores in the retort, along with steamer hydrogen-gas,'or soon after desulphurization, hastens and ores, and the chlorination of the precious metals contaiuedrin them.

Thev eii'ect'of introducing Vmuriatic `Aacid vor saturated solutions vof chloride of soda, or other substances confore described, is to decompose the water it or they contain, and thus set free oxygen, hydrogen, and ohio- The chlorine thus set free unites with the metals contained in the ores, and forms them into chlorides, vat the same timethe lhydrogen unites with anyreconvertsI it into snlphuretted hydrogen-gas, which is It is vfound that chlorine-gas expands, and loses'its specific gravity, when heated, in proportion to its expansionand that when so heated, .it becomes lighter than atmospheric air. Hence, when applied .over the topvor surface of the ores, it does not descend into them, or permeategthe mass-to which it is applied to any considerable extent, as is necessary to-fully chlorize tbe same with certainty, and economically.'

rop, the metals are only in part chlorized.

. The Stirling of the ores by means of gas or steam,

through the arrangement of the stil-rer or generator,

hasl not heretofore been practised. y

The stirrer'or generator has' also another vmerit and novel feature, as well as advantage over any other device hitherto known. foragitating the ores while being roasted, viz, thatl whenused stationary in the retort, no doors or other-apertures in the retort arer ,to-beopeued, so that gases, nor steam, nor mercury erties active.

, i'ine. f

used in the furnace or retortLfor` the purpose otrey i ducing. ore, cannotescape, to annoy or injure the health'of the workmen, nor cause expense to replace the gases.

It will be observed that the peculiar construction aud arrangement of the strrer or generator is such that the ores cannot fall into and fill up the vsmall perforations or notches, through which the steam or gases escape to the ores contained in the retort.

vIt will also be observed that the retort is submerged in flames in this arrangement of the furnace and retort, yand the fire-places so constructed as to heat all parts of thefurnace equally.

.We have adopted the shape ot' the furnace shown in the drawings, because it is best adapted to this process; but-any shaped furnacecan be used that will admit a body of ores over the Stirner and generator, so that the pressureoiv gases upward will be disseminated through the entire mass of the ores in the retort.

lhe stirrer or generator may be 'made of any material that is indestructible by heat or the gases, and the pipe leading' to said generator can be inserted in the top 'or sides, as well as the bottom.

This pipe d, andthe generator, may be lined inside with platinum, or made of any material that'will not -be destroyed by the acid, from the point where the.

reservoir K enters to the generator.

Fpr vreducing fractions ores, for desulphurizing, or \chlorizing, or fumigating the ores with mercury, the

heat should be equal over and through the whole snrface of the retort. l

When chlorine and hydrogen-,gases arc produced, and mingled in the dark, they do not unite; but if mingled in sunlight, they gradually combine. In the dark, chlorine is passive; in the sunlight, or' its equivalent,'it becomes active. Now, our improvement in its use is that we hold the chlorine, in its combination with` othnrsubstanccs,l until they reach-the .point where chlorine-gas is to b'eused, viz in the stirrer or gas-generator, directiy under the ores, wherel they are thrown onto the red-hot` bottom` of the retort, and are' set free from those combinations by the decomposition of them by intense heat, and which furnishes at the same moment artificial light, to render its prop- It will be seen, from this statement of ,our use of chlorine-gas, that we can use ity in the night as well as in the midst ot' sunshine; also in cloudy weather, as in the brightest daylight. h

The advantages oi`..our process are, it saves an extra apparatus inwhich to make .the gases; it dis-" penses with the use of costly chemicals; it avoids the necessity of losing the gases in their transmission tothe bottomof the'- ores; and it presents their escape into'the room, thereby becoming destructive to the lives of the workmen,'as both hydrogen and chlorine are irrespirable and destructive to human life.

It will be seen, from the above, that we use hydrof gen-gas Erst, and by itself, for -desulphurizatiom and `to stir'or agitato the ores, and leave them in condition for theready passage through them of the chlorine. y For this purpose intense heat is needed.

VWhen the ores are desulphurized' by the hydrogern, we then set free, and ready to act, the chlorine, which,

accompanied by the hydrogen-gas, derived from the chlorine-solution,'servesws a .conductor to the chlo- -a point on the bottom of the retort, near the edges of the stirrcr or. generator, where `the gases are evolved 01 set free. y

".io keepfthelgases separate, when desired, it is only necessary-to change or modify the degrees of heat applied under the bottom of the retort.

. It will also be seen that We use steam, for the purpose of 'forcing the'chlorine-gas solutions, and materials containing it, as well as other gases, into' the stirrer 'or generator, where, first, the steam is conpreparing the way for the chlorine-gas and 'vapcrized mercury to follow.

The desulphurizing and chlorizing are done-irst. The mercury is introduced afterward, for the purpose of general dissemination through the ores, and securing any non-chlorized or free preciousmetal that may have escaped chlorination.

Having thusfully described our invention,

What we`claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

` 1. The stirrer or generator I, constructed as' describedVto be worked b'y hand, or Stationary, substantially as and for the purposesherein set forth.

2. The furnace A and retort B, constructed Aas described, for desulphuriz'in'g metallic ores and chlorizing the yprecious metals, substantially by. the means. .and in the' manner herein set forth.

3. The application. of anarticial light in the lbo tom of the retort contaning'the ores, for the purpose of increasing the action ot' the chlorine-gas, and ren* dering itmore effective in 'chlorizing metallic ores, substantially ais Iset forth. Y Y In testimony that we claim the foregoing, we have hereunto set our hands, this 16th d ay of August,

CHARLES D. WILLIAMS. Witnesses: W. H. NOBLES. j

J. I?. ALLEN, MICHEL HOU'LL. 

